At first glance the
S80 doesn't look like a
Volvo, unless you're facing its signature grille, with its bright vertical bars and diagonal slash. Gone is the box-on-box design that distinguished the Volvo profile for a generation. It's replaced in the S80 by softer, less decisive lines: a gently sloping hood, steeply raked windscreen, slightly bowed roofline and almost coupe-like rear window. A short rear deck lid completes the seductive silhouette. Flared wheelwells circle alloy wheels. Every corner has been rounded and rid of severe angles. Lightly sculpted doors and side panels contrast sensuously with the slab-sided look of Volvos past.
The whole styling gamble pays off in the rear. Prominent, jewel-like taillights perch high on either side of the trunk, the lenses themselves forming the car's rear corners. They're molded in an interesting notched shape, giving the S80 a distinctive flavor that sets it apart from anything else on the road.
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